13th International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy

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What to do in Paracas?

The desert and the sea come together in spectacular fashion in Paracas, in the department of Ica, just a few hours south from the city of Lima. The cliffs that fringe the beaches are teeming with life: millions of birds that live here year-round, and thousands of others that fly from the Northern Hemisphere and from further south, ranging from guano birds to Humboldt penguins.

Boats set out from the port to tour the Ballestas Islands, giving visitors a chance to gaze at the sea lion colonies. By car, one can reach the port of Punta Pejerrey, from where one can look out across the hillside at the candlestick-like figure of the Candelabro, carved into the sand with a similar technique to the Nazca Lines, although possibly of a different origin: theories range from pirates marking a treasure hiding place to soldiers fighting for Latin American independence from Spain.

Back on the traditional circuit, the road leads to the on-site museum and the ruins of the burial grounds of the Paracas culture (700 BC), whose weaving skills have been admired the world over. A trail leads down to a protected bay, the natural habitat of flamingoes, the scarlet-and-white birds that inspired the colors of the Peruvian flag. They are not to be disturbed. Further south lie the striking natural rock formations of the Cathedral and Mendieta. At sunset, the Paracas coast spins through a range of colors, the signal for nostalgic visitors to return to the city.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Tambo Colorado Archeological Remains
Kilometer marker 45 of the Libertadores Highway
It is a very well preserved Inca urban center, possibly built during the time of the Inca Pachacutec as a lodge for soldiers and high-level authorities.

Paracas National Reserve
250 km / 155 miles south of Lima (3 hours by car)
The reserve's 335.000 hectares is a refuge for fur seals, Humboldt penguins, flamingos (parihuanas), and many other birds. You can visit many different natural and archeological attractions in the reserve. One of them is the El Candelabro (The Candelabra), a geoglyph of more than 120 meters / 394 feet long, better appreciated from the ocean.

Ballestas Islands
They are located outside the reserve area. They constitute the habitat of a great variety of birds and sea lions, which you can approach by motor boat. This excursion is one of the most regular ones from Paracas.

Nazca Lines
Just two hours from Ica, 50 square km of desert floor were covered centuries ago by vast drawings, figures of mammals, insects and deities. The Nazca Lines, discovered in 1927, are the most extraordinary legacy left by a culture that flourished in 300 BC. The lines are a series of complex designs, some up to 300 meters long which can only be seen in their true dimension from the sky, from an altitude of at least 1,500 feet. The Nazca culture is not believed to have been capable of manned flight. But the question remains as to how they crafted the drawings, what technology they used and what purpose the lines served.

SPORTS

Kite surfing
Kayak
Driving buggies at the desert
Catamaran

OTHERS

Paracas Geology (pdf version)
Bird Watching

Pictures of activities in Paracas

(Source: JRO Amigos)

The International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy (ISEA)

is an event organized approximately every three to four years and is a major event in the field of upper atmospheric and ionospheric science, gathering of around 150 scientists from all over the world which are interested in studying the low latitude atmosphere and ionosphere and the coupling with other latitudinal and altitudinal regions.

» 2012/09/06

ISEA13 Special Issue: Final deadline extension September 15th, 2012.

» 2012/08/20

ISEA13 Special Issue: Deadline extension August 31st, 2012.

» 2012/03/30

ISEA13 Proceedings.

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